, 1887-09-24
K FOR A THIEF.

NJ. Rochefort's Account OF q Trip to
London-He Had His Revenge.
NJ. Rochefort gives the Parisians a very
pleasant account of how he was taken for
u thief on his recent trip to London. Al
had, - he writes, cleft Boulogne to pass a
few hours in the bosom of that Albion so
famous for her perfidy. l took no valise,
not even a night shirt, as 1 intended to re-
turn the same evening. However the sea
passage was SO trying and the train
reached London so late that l couldn't
think of making a second passage that
night. l therefore went to Panton's no
tel, in Panton street, where l stayed for
merly and whose owner / knew. / en-
tered deliberately, without thinking Of
the effect my travel stained false collar
and cuffs would produce on the people of
the house. The landlord / had known
had sold out several years before, and the
walters, on seeing a man so Ill brushed
and luggageless enter the dining room,
began to look at one another very mis-
t~rustfully. l asked for a room and was
told there was no room. Iasked for II bit
OF roast beef and was toll there was moth
ing to eat in the house. / mentioned the
name of the former landlord, but h did
more harm than good. They would agree
to take me in and do fol- me only on CON
dition of my paying beforehand.
l at once submitted to those terms, and
when the employees saw the contents of
my purse they cast looks at each other
which plainly said-'He has made a big
hnul in Paris and escaped without chang
ing his dress The dinner was a cruel
one, though paid for beforehand, and
every time the waiter brought me a dish,
for which l had to wait IN unreasonable
time, he gave me q look which said as
plain as words could nave spoken it.
Perhaps they will come and arrest him
before the dessert, and that will be SO
much gained l damaged my case ut
terly by asking for the Paris papers.
Evidently 1t was to see whether the police
were on my track. The butler, the por-
ter and the ~doorkoeper were standing be-
hind me, as If In expectation OF an extra
dition order. A paragraph having made
me laugh, they made signs to zach other
which plainly meant, He sees they have
lost the scent and he can't restrain his
joy My meal ended, / asked one of the
women to go and buy me a couple Of
clean shirts, but she refused to become an
accessory to my crime after the fact by
helping me to destroy my identity. How
ever, she consented to lend me a brush.
II had my revenge. / wrote to an Irish
membe OF parliament a telegram signed
with my own name, and informing him
that | was in London. That produced the
effect of a thunderbolt, members of parlia-
ment being taken more seriously by the
English than by us. When the NJ. p.
came, about 10 p. m, to take me to the
house in his cab, the waiter, ashamed Of
the mistake he had made, hid his head in
n saucepan. 1t was agreed that my friend
and l should come back and have supper
at 2 a. M, and the unhappy waiter came
out of his saucepan to sketch for us the
richest nOSs1hla mann uThatf1 do AMID
l; give us a good supper; but, you know,
l absolutely insist on paying for it before
hand The waiter, humbled to the dust,
pleaded extenuating circumstances, and
said to the NJ. p: Il assure you sir, we
never took your friend for a murderer.
We merely thought that he had robbed a
bank, that's all. '"-Home Journal.